We share the use of a NH 489 that has lost the rubber on most of the top roller. If the grass is short its no problem to mow, just very little conditioning. Long grass instantly wraps and clogs the machine.We tried it out on a few acres and all was well. Neighbour that owns it has a local company out to look her equipment over. They saw the 489 roller and "promised" her that they could fix it in 2 days during the middle of haying season, the date promised was June 30. Well, she asked them to hold off until the roller came in but they came and got the machine anyways. It is about 45 miles away from the farm. Well low and behold the roller doesn't come in but they don't tell her this until she phoned about 20 times. Good weather came along I went in to drag it home July 2 (late saturday afternoon) so we could cut. I get in there and a tire is on the ground. It hasn't had a flat in years but whatever, I empty the air pig into it and get it almost full. One of the shop owners wanders over from his house and starts saying "I think someone's a bit too excited to get their hay cut, your horse hay should be cut until August" I thought to myself, 95% of our neighbours finished 1st cut this week and the hay is all gonna go to seed in about another week. He went on a bunch more about no safety chains and no wide load sign, then started into me. "Why the *ell would you expect a mower to get repaired on short notice in haying season?" Quietly I thought, well, for one, you promised it would be done! Anyways, by now that tire was looking like it would melt off on the highway and the spare I brought turned out to be the wrong size and the air tank was empty. So we decide to pull the pin, leave it there and leave in search of a borrowed mower. Anywho, the lady owner gets a call yesterday, July 6, yup the rollers is gonna be 2 more weeks to get her. So she said forget it, we'll take the mower home and mow. Long pause... well, it is all taken apart in the shop right now.... what? We decided not to start until the roller came in!... Well, I figured since that the young fella was too scared to pull it home it wasn't going anywhere. I about blew my top hearing this! The lady who owns it was cool as a cucumber though as they have her machine in pieces in their shop and holding her ransome with a bill I'm sure. So she phones the distributer of NH parts here. They say, yup, when it was ordered the NH emergency stock had just been used up. NH was going to be taking possesion of the next order in a week, then they had to mark the serial numbers and such then package and ship out. So we are hitting our second 6 day stretch of sun with no mower... Life is great! Just wish they would loan us one of the 3 used mowers they have sitting in their yard!
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